Improved machine for splitting leather



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JOHN TAGGART, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

.Letters Patent No. 83,888, dated Novembre?- l0, 1868.

The Schedule referrd to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all persons to whom these presents 'may come:

Beit known that I, J ourv Taeean'r, of Boston, in the county of Sutfolk, and State of Massachusetts, have invented-a new and useful Machine for Splitting Leather; and do hereby declare the same to be fully described in the following spcciiication, and represented in the ae# companying drawings, of which- Figure l is a top view,

Figure 2, afront elevation, and

Figure 3, a transverse section of it. y

Figure 4 is a horizontal section taken through its series of rotary cutters or knives.

Figure 5 is a horizontal section taken through the driving-belt oi such knives or cutters.

Figure (i is a vertical section taken through one of the end cutters and its supporting-frame, and onepair of the lateral adjusters of the said frame.

In such drawings, A denotes the frame of the machine. It has arranged within it, in manner as represented, a series of three iced-rollers, c 11 c, the upper and lower of which have'- pulleys, d e, fixed on tlnfir arbors. Around these pulleys a band, f, is extended, Whichmay bc either an elastic or an inelastic one. In case of it being an inelastic one, it should have means of ta-king it up or letting it out, so as to cause it to properly iit the pulleys.

The lower roller supports the middle roller, which should be made oi' an India-rubber sleeve, and a shaft or core to extend through it.

The journals of the upper and lower'most -rollers of the series should be sustained in movable boxes, provided with adjustingscrews, h h hy h, by which the distance of one roller from the other, and their due positions relatively to the series of cutters, may arranged or adjusted as circumstances may require.

In advance of the bite of the upper and middle feed-rollers, there is arranged a series of circular knives or rotary cutters, B.. B B, 85e., each being fixed to the upper part of one of a series of vertical shafts, O C C, Stu., which are arranged in a rectangular' iiame, D. This frame is grooved on its upper and lower edges to receive four tongues, f f' f f', which extend from four slides or adjusters, g g g g, which are so arranged and applied to the frame A as to be capable of being moved transversely thereof, in orde-r to carry the series of knives or cutters, B BB, 85o., either nearer to or further from the bite of the feed-rollers, occasion may `require, and particularly as the sa-id knives or cutters may become reduced in diameter by being worn or sharpcned. Each knife or cutter has directly underneath it and rests upon a tapering deiiector, t', constituting the head of the shaft, to which the cutter is applied. This deiiector is analogous to'an inverted conic ii'ustum, and is for two purposes, viz, that of supporting the circular knife, so as to prevent injurious vibrations ot it, and also that of deflectiug downward ythe lowerportion or half of a sheet of leather while the said sheet may be in the4 act of being split by theknives or cutters.

Furthermore, the posts of each of the cutter-shafts should be adjustable vertically in the frame D, so as to enable all the cutters to be brought into one plane.

AEach cutterfshaft has a diiviiig-pulle'y, k, ixed on it.

An endless band, l, proceeding iiom a driving-drum, m, is run along and againstthe fronts of the circumferences of half ofthe pulleys k, and against the rears of the remainder of the said pulleys, the same being as represented in the drawings, and so that when the said band is put in revolution it shall cause one-half of the shafts, on one side of the middle of the frame D, to revolve in a direction the reverse of that of the remainder-of such shafts, the object being to cause half the number of cutters to revolve in one direction, and the other halt of them to rotate in the other direction, so as, while all of them may be cutting the sheet, they shall operate also to stretch it in opposite directions from its middle, andthus prevent'it from wrinkling. Suitable guide-rollers, o o o, are employed to keep the belt up to the pulleys of the shafts.

The frame D can slide longitudinally on the tongues j" f f f', and it has a mechanism applied to it to impart to it a reciprocating rectilinear motion, such mechanism being a lever, p, an eccentric, q, and a connecter, q, of the eccentric and lever, the whole being as represented. The eccentric and the driving-drum m are placed on thc sameshaft, lr.

In advance of the series of rptary cutters is a sharpener, E, composed of two grinders, s s, and a supporting-bar, t. While in movement, the knives or cutters extend and move between the grinders, and are kept sharp by them.

Furthermore, over the several rotary cutters, and extending down to them, or arranged with respect to them and the feed-rollers, is a curved guide-plate, F,

the purpose of which is to guide from the cutters the upper portion split from the leather, and also to steady it close to the cutters, and, with the upper feed-roller, prevent it from ceiling or wrinkling for some distance from them, while it may be passing from them.

There is also another guide-plate, G, attached to the `frame A, and extended down and back from the middle iced-rollenin manncr'as represented, the purpose of the plate being merely to support the shcet-0f leather while being introduced to the feed-rollers, and while it may be in the act of being drawn forward by them.

' One particular advantage of this machine, over the single-cutter or belt-cutter splitting-machines, is in its preventing the leather from wrinkling or cockling while being split. It has other advantages which leathersplitters can hardly fail to recognize.

In the said machine, I claim, as of my invention, the following:

The combination of a set of feeding-rollers, (provided with mechanism foroperating them,) a series of rotary cutters, B, a carrying-frame, D, therefor, and mechanism for revolving such cutters, and imparting to the carrying-frame a reciprocating rectilinear movement, in order to canse such cutters to cut a sheet of leather into separate' pieces or sheets, when it is forced against them by the action of the feeding-rollers.

And in such a combination, I claimv the employment or combination of a mechanism with the cutters, such as will cause those of them on one side of the medial vertical line of their sustaining-frame to revolve in directions opposite to those in which theremainder of such cutters are made. to revolve, the same being for the purpose of stretching the leather in opposite ways while the cutters may be in action on it to cut it.

I also claim the combination andl arrangement of sharpening-devices, s s, t, or mechanism, with the feedrollersand the series of rotary knives or cutters, their suppoiting-carriage or frame, and mechanism for operating it and them, so as to cause them to revolve, and at the same time to move together back and forth, in a manner to separate, when presented to them, a sheet of leather into two sheets, as described, the ysaid sharp- .lening-devices or mechanism being made to effect the the steadying and guide-plate F, with the feed-rollers,

and series of rotary cutters, provided with mechanism for operating them, as described.

JOHN TAGGART. Witnesses:

R.. H. EDDY, F. P. HALE, Jr. l 

